The Indonesian Armed Forces was formed during the
Indonesian National Revolution, when it undertook a
guerrilla war along with informal
militia. As a result of this, and the need to maintain internal security, the Armed forces including the Army, Navy, and Air Force has been organised along territorial lines, aimed at defeating internal enemies of the state and potential external invaders.[6]

Under the
1945 Constitution, all citizens are legally entitled and obliged to defend the nation.
Conscription is provided for by law, yet the Forces have been able to maintain mandated strength levels without resorting to a
draft. Most enlisted personnel are recruited in their own home regions and generally train and serve most of their time in units nearby.

The Indonesian armed forces are
voluntary. The active military strength is 395,500[7] with available manpower fit for military service of males aged between 16 and 49 is 75,000,000, with a further 4,500,000 new suitable for service annually.[8]

Military spending in the national budget was widely estimated 3% of GDP in 2005,[8] but is supplemented by revenue from many military-run businesses and foundations. The defence budget for 2017 was $8.17bn.[9][7] The Indonesian armed forces (Military) personnel does not include members of law enforcement and paramilitary personnel such as the
Indonesian National Police (Polri) consisting of approximately 590,000+ personnel,
Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) of around 42,000+ armed personnel, the
Civil Service Police Unit (
Municipal police) or Satpol PP, Indonesian
College Students' Regiment or Resimen Mahasiswa (Menwa) which is a collegiate military service consisting 26,000 trained personnel, and civil defence personnel (Linmas or
Public Protection Service Corps, which replaced the old Hansip in 2014).

History

Formation

Before the formation of the
Indonesian Republic, the military authority in the
Dutch East Indies was held by the
Royal Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL) and naval forces of the
Royal Netherlands Navy (KM). Although both the KNIL and KM were not directly responsible for the formation of the future Indonesian armed forces, and mainly took the role of foe during
Indonesian National Revolution in 1945 to 1949, the KNIL had also provided military training and
infrastructure for some of the future TNI officers and other ranks. There were military training centres, military schools and academies in the Dutch East Indies. Next to Dutch volunteers and European mercenaries, the KNIL also recruited indigenous, especially
Ambonese,
Kai Islanders,
Timorese, and
Minahasan people. In 1940 with the Netherlands under German occupation and the Japanese pressing for access to Dutch East Indies oil supplies, the Dutch had opened up the KNIL to large intakes of previously excluded
Javanese.[10][clarification needed] Some of the indigenous soldiers that had enjoyed Dutch KNIL military academy education would later become important TNI officers, like for example:
Suharto and
Nasution.

Indonesian
nationalism and militarism started to gain momentum and support in
World War II during the
Japanese occupation of Indonesia. To gain support from the Indonesian people in their war against the
Western Allied force, Japan started to encourage and back Indonesian nationalistic movements by providing Indonesian youth with military training and weapons. On 3 October 1943, the Japanese military formed the Indonesian volunteer army called
PETA (Pembela Tanah Air – Defenders of the Homeland). The Japanese intended PETA to assist their forces oppose a possible invasion by the Allies. The Japanese military training for Indonesian youth originally was meant to rally the local's support for the
Japanese Empire, but later it became the significant resource for the
Republic of Indonesia during the
Indonesian National Revolution in 1945 to 1949. Many of these men who served in PETA, both officers and NCOs alike like
Sudirman, formed majority of the personnel that would comprise the future armed forces.

At first, Indonesian Armed Forces started out as the BKR (Badan Keamanan Rakyat – People's Security Agency), which was formed in the 3rd PPKI meeting, on August 29, 1945; this was an organisation of militias in a united nationwide force to ensure the security remained intact across the newly declared independent Indonesia; it was created more as a civil defence force than an
armed forces. The decision to create a "security agency" and not an army, was taken to lessen the probability of the allied forces viewing it as an armed revolution and invading in full force. During their capitulation, one of the terms of surrender to Japan was to return the Asian domains they had conquered to the previous nation of the Allies, certainly not to liberate them independently.

When confrontations became sharp and hostile between Indonesia and the Allied forces, on October 5, 1945 the TKR (Tentara Keamanan Rakyat – People's Security Armed Forces) was formed on the basis of existing BKR units; this was a move taken to formalise, unite, and organise the splintered pockets of independent troopers ('laskar') across Indonesia, ensuing a more professional military approach, to contend with the
Netherlands and the Allied force invaders.

In January 1946, TKR renamed onto Tentara Keselamatan Rakyat (People's Safety Military Forces), then succeeded by TRI (Tentara Republik Indonesia – Republic of Indonesia Military Forces), in a further step to professionalise the armed forces and increase its ability to engage systematically.

In June 1947, TRI, per a government decision, was renamed the TNI (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Indonesian National Armed Forces) which is a merger between the TRI and the independent paramilitary organizations (laskar) across Indonesia, becoming by 1950 the APRIS or National Armed Forces of the United States of Indonesia (Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia Serikat), by mid year the APRI or National Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (Angkatan Perang Republik Indonesia), absolving also personnel from within both the former KNIL and KM within the expanded republic.

Independent Indonesia

General
Nasution congratulating General
Suharto on the his appointment as acting president, 12 March 1967

From the 1950s to 1960s the Republic of Indonesia struggled to maintain its unity against local insurgencies and separatist movements in some of its provinces. From 1948 to 1962, the TNI was involved in local warfare in
West Java,
Aceh, and
South Sulawesi against
Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesia (DI/TII), a militant movement aimed at establishing an
Islamic state in Indonesia. The TNI also helped bring the rebellion of
Republic of South Maluku to a close in 1963. Meanwhile, the
PRRI/Permesta rebellion holds an essential place in Indonesian military history because it was led by army officers in Sumatra and Sulawesi between 1955 and 1961.

Indonesia developed a good relationship with the Soviet Union in the period of 1961-65. The Soviet Union sold 17 ships to the Indonesian Navy, the largest of which was a
Sverdlov class cruiser. The size was 16,640 tons, very big compared to the current Indonesian
Sigma class corvette at only 1,600 tons. Indonesia procured 12
Whiskey class submarines plus 2 supporting ships. Indonesia had more than a hundred military aircraft, 20 supersonic
MiG-21s, 10 supersonic
Mig-19, 49
Mig-17 and 30
MiG-15. The Soviets also supplied Indonesia with 26
Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bombers, though it is not clear what the servicability rate was.[11]

Under the New Order

During the
New Order-era, the Indonesian military enjoyed certain privileges and played a significant role in Indonesian politics. The military involvement in Indonesian politics was formulated in the
Dwifungsi (Dual function) doctrine of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

During the New Order-regime the "Tentara Nasional Indonesia" (Indonesian National Armed Forces/TNI) changed its name to "Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia" (Republic of Indonesia Armed Forces/ABRI), by then including the POLRI (
Indonesian National Police) (the latter having been included in 1962 as part of the Ministry of Defense, even before the New Order began).

In 1975,
Indonesia invaded East Timor, followed a year afterward by the
Insurgency in Aceh, flaring on-and-off from 1976 to 2005. From the 1970s to 1990s the Indonesian military worked hard to suppress these armed insurgency and separatist movements in the provinces of
Aceh and
East Timor. In 1991 the
Santa Cruz Massacre occurred in East Timor, tarnishing the image of the Indonesian military internationally. This incident led the United States to sever its
IMET funding, which supported training for the Indonesian military.

Also in 1992, each service branch began to form small female units. These all-female Corps are the Women's Army Corps, the Women's Naval Service, the Air Force Women's Corps, and the Police Women's Service Corps. These were intended to "set to work at places and in functions conform[ing] to their feminine disposition." More specifically, women were assigned to administrative work, teaching English and working to improve health and social conditions of armed forces members and their families. The women police were said to "play an important role in solving problems [of] drug addicts and juvenile delinquents."[8]

Reformation

After the
fall of Suharto in 1998, the democratic and civil movement grew against the acute military role and involvements in Indonesian politics. As the result, the
post-Suharto Indonesian military has undergone certain reformations, such as the revocation of
Dwifungsi doctrine and the terminations of military controlled business. The reformation also involved the law enforcement in common civil society, which questioned the position of Indonesian police under the military corps umbrella. These reforms led to the separation of the police force from the military. In 2000, the
Indonesian National Police officially regained its independence and now is a separate entity from the military. The official name of the Indonesian military also changed from "Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia" (ABRI) back to "Tentara Nasional Indonesia" (TNI).

Following the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the United States government suspended a spare parts embargo which had been in place for non-lethal equipment and military vehicles, to support the humanitarian effort in the tsunami-devastated regions of
Aceh and
Nias. Since then, the Indonesian Air Force has signed deals to purchase more C-130 transport aircraft and upgrade the current C-130s in the inventory. On 22 November 2005, the US announced that military ties with Indonesia would be restored in full. The decision had ended the six-year US ban on arms sales.[13]

In 2009, all former Indonesian military businesses were to be surrendered to a specialist body. The Indonesian Military Business Management Body (BPBTNI) was established in effect of a stipulation in Law No. 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military (TNI) which was to take over ownership and operation of all businesses owned or run by the TNI by 2009. Unlike the former National Banking Restructuring Agency (BPPN) which burdened the Indonesian state with losses, the BPBTNI would bear all losses alone.[14][needs update]

From 2010 onwards, military spending in Indonesia was aligned to the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) strategic plan 2010 – 2014 requirements. Under MEF 2010 – 2014 funds of up to Rp150 trillion ($16.41 billion) to spend over five years to procure major weapons systems, Rp50 trillion $5.47 billion) will be used to accelerate achieving the Minimum Essential Force, Rp55 trillion ($6.02 billion) for procurement and Rp45 trillion ($4.92 billion) for maintenance and repair.[15] Subsequent funding would be made available to fund the strategic plans of MEF 2015 - 2019 and MEF 2020 - 2024 to achieve the strategic goal of Minimum Essential Force.